NIMBLE fingered knitters from Hale to Australia are making more than 7,000 woollen mice to raise money for Alzheimer's Society.

The knitters want to create a ‘Mile of Mice’ that will be joined from nose to tail and measured at Altrincham Football Club’s ground to become a Guinness World Record.

Residential sheltered housing manager Libby Swindells pitched the idea to her Nimble Fingers knitting group at Wellgreen Lodge in Hale.

Now she has been swamped with offers to join in with the big sponsored knit from all over the world.

The 55-year-old, who works for Trafford Housing Trust, said: “So far we have had more than 100 people sign up to get the pattern to create a ‘Mile of Mice’ for Alzheimer's Society. My phone was melting off my desk.

“I am delighted so many people want to help the group and join in.

“We set up a Mile of Mice Facebook page and have been getting people to mention us on Twitter, so that really helped. I could not believe it when I had requests from Cornwall and was over the moon when we had offers to join from Australia, Spain, Canada and America.”

Each mouse measures nine inches from head to tail and so far more than 400 have been completed with the aim to reach 7,600 to stretch out a mile long.

Libby added: “The group choose Alzheimer's Society as a lot of them have been touched by the disease through family members and friends. It is a very important cause to them and with Dementia Awareness Week coming up in May, they wanted to keep the society in the forefront of people's minds.”

All the knitters will be invited to Altrincham FC for the measuring day on October 30, where lunch will be provided and mice will be sold from 50p.

Anne Grout, support services manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Trafford, said: “It is wonderful that so many people have got involved in the project for the society.

“I have knitted some of the mice myself and I would like to encourage everyone to get on board.”